_________________I have a quilt of labels. I had a language disorder and a speech disorder. Then communication disorder NOS. My other diagnoses have been Language Processing disorder, dyspraxia, SPD, OCD, ADD, Asperger’s, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, anorexia nervosa. My mom’s labels of me are: eating disorder, anorexia, social anxiety, PTSD, just being sensitive and having the victim complex when I was a kid. And of course she says I’m normal and says the only thing I had as a child was language. Huh? I must have been a shitty person then and maybe a difficult child I was who had to be labeled because of incompetent school staff and mean kids who didn’t accept differences and because I was trying to be “normal.” :/

It's not a matter of the traits you have, but how much they hinder you. You will probably find that your AS is milder in some environments than others; in some it may hinder you as much that you could be defined as low-functioning in those environments. And of course, environment also includes your underlying stress level, your physical health, and the presence or absence of any other mental conditions.

Complicated, yeah? But you can't really label yourself like that because functioning really varies.

That's interesting about it fluctuating like that, thanks. I only have some sort of "hyperrationality mode" in certain environments and only under certain circumstances online, but then it can really make me lose touch with the people-related side of things. That's when I do make people uncomfortable, apparently. IRL it's more like just being too aloof.

As for OP's and the other lists:

Traits I have:-Above average IQ-Aloofness, hard to socialize for fun (but I can if with people who can engage me)-Black-white thinking (but I think everyone does that in areas)-Literal for 90% of things, miss certain types of jokes, low awareness of sarcasm (but I do sense it a bit)-Obsessiveness and strong focus on the "main project", specialization (but it's often for goals in social contexts)-Poor cognitive empathy (empathetic perspective taking is hard but it's not impossible, just not my default. And I perceive people as objects at first, before I can switch to empathetic mode)-"Savant" skill for numbers and for deeply analyzing certain things-Social skills related issues: missing some subtleties of nonverbal and verbal cues (but I have the basics out of instinct), too much bluntness-Speech: can get blocked if I'm to speak too unexpectedly (but it depends on how much I'm in practice)-Young appearance (people usually are shocked to hear I'm past 30)

Traits I don't have:-Aloofness is not 100%, I can do and enjoy some small talk -Face blindness/forgetting names-Irregular speech pattern-Hyperfocus (just strong concentration skills but that's not the same, I don't tune out the entire world)-Lack of eye contact or other basic body language skills -Literalness is not always-Meltdowns-Monotone voice-Poor motor skills/coordination-Poor orientation/visual-spatial coordination -Routines are 99% changeable if needed (one special thing must stay, that's not AS related, but this is a long story)-Sensory overload (no problem with bright light, loud sounds, touch, etc.)-Shutdowns-Social skills don't have to be learnt manually for me-Stims-The so-called "special interests"-Theory of mind problems: no, I do pass tests

Can you live on your own? I live in my own place, yes.Do you have a job? I only worked remote/online. I got to the point that I feel I extracted myself enough from issues to be able to have a real life job interview or even work in a workplace etc. But I'm still checking out things.How long have you had it? YearsWhat sort of job is it? It was in IT business.Did you graduate high school? Yes, grade A'sCollege? Yes, got to Masters. Again best gradesHave you ever had a significant relationship? Yes. I'm the same as the person earlier in the thread who said they had no feeling or not enough.Did you get married? No, previous bf did propose but I don't marry while my not feeling enough is an issue.

Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as: eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction. Extreme difficulty in developing age-appropriate peer relationships. (e.g. AS children may be more comfortable with adults than with other children). Inflexible adherence to routines and perseveration. Fascination with maps, globes, and routes. Superior rote memory. [Just with numbers]Preoccupation with a particular subject to the exclusion of all others. Amasses many related facts. Difficulty judging personal space, motor clumsiness. Sensitivity to the environment, loud noises, clothing and food textures, and odors. Speech and language skills impaired in the area of semantics, pragmatics, and prosody (volume, intonation, inflection, and rhythm).Difficulty understanding others’ feelings. Pedantic, formal style of speaking; often called “little professor,” verbose. Extreme difficulty reading and/or interpreting [subtle] social cues.Socially and emotionally inappropriate responses. [too blunt mainly]Literal interpretation of language; difficulty comprehending implied meanings. Extensive vocabulary. Reading commences at an early age (hyperlexia). Stereotyped or repetitive motor mannerisms. Difficulty with “give and take” of conversation.

Traits: -Stims (pacing, picking at my skin)-Some discomfort with eye contact, often miss what the person is trying to convey because I'm trying not to be rude by staring or "failing to pay attention". Unable to "get it' when others try to be subtle.-Some sensitivity to light, have difficulty picking out discrete sounds from background noise, sensitive to touch, overzealous olfactory sensor (especially for sour and sweet smells, and I can smell a capful of rum being snuck into a virgin daiquiri from two rooms away. Alcohol smells hideous to me.) -Meltdowns (pissed-off rants would be a more appropriate description, set off for often inadequate reasons) -IQ well above average (gifted). Moderately poor executive function and poor working memory.-Young appearance (this has varied over the years, I currently look younger than I am)-Poor social skills (regardless of the fake it ‘til you make it school of thought), have been fortunate that none of my misunderstandings have resulted in firings or disciplinary action. Friendships are limited to my family and a few former shipmates.-Fascination with dates and numbers-Ability to hyperfocus. The rest of the world does not exist.-Poor coordination and the uncanny ability to knock things over with my mere proximity. (I jokingly called it the Klutz Gene when I realized my daughters inherited my (lack of) grace back in the late '90s.-Obsessive Interests (music, sound harmonics, warfare, history, certain aspects of sociology, economics, hard sciences, cryptozoology (open-minded skeptical viewpoint), numerical relationships, trying to figure out the female half of the species with the (un)willing assistance of my wife and daughters, daydreaming.

Non-Traits: -Irregular speech pattern (Unless using an inordinate amount of archaic and precise language counts as irregular)-Monotone voice (My voice has been described as melodic and multitoned, I have been a performing singer off and on over the years and I am experienced at public speaking) -Face blindness (though I do forget names easily)-Interests in computers (my interest in computers is only passing and not intense, would rather build and repair rather than program)

OK, defined by function level.Can you live on your own? - I don’t know. I think probably yes, but I never really have. Have lived as part of a unit (military or familial) almost all of my adult life. I joined the military right out of high school. Was married when I was 21. When I was away and not living in close quarters as part of either unit, my wife and I would spend a great deal of time on the phone and she would call me to wake me in the mornings. I can cook, clean and generally take care of myself even though my wife says that I move very slowly.Do you have a job? - I am currently employed.How long have you had it? - This one? Eight months. The last ones in reverse order, 15 months, 23 months, six months, 23 years divided up into 11 separate locations and job descriptions, 1 MOS, two ratings, 7 NECs and dozens of qualifications and collateral duties. The flexibility and ability to change jobs was a lifesaver for me in the military.What sort of job is it? – Mid-career semi-professional (No certs for job, working on them though.) This job is kind of exceptional though, I think the primary qualification was my status as a retired service member.Did you graduate high school? - Yes. Barely. Had to go to night school to finish.College? - Associate’s 4.00; Bachelors, Magna cum Laude 3.86 (25 years after barely finishing high school)Have you ever had a significant relationship? YesDid it last long? 25+ years.Did you get married? 24+ years ago.

There are probably other things but that is most of what I have figured out up to this point. I only had an epiphany about the possibility that I am on the spectrum about a year ago.